Tower Hill shuts down Archmere offense in 2-0 field hockey win

CLAYMONT – Tower Hill’s field hockey program, which entered the 2018 season having lost most of its scoring from last year, continued its strong play on Oct. 30, scoring two first-half goals en route to a 2-0 shutout of Archmere. The win was the Hillers’ sixth straight.

The Hillers opened the contest with steady pressure on the Auks, and it took less than three and a half minutes to pay dividends. Annie Malatesta controlled an inbounds pass on a penalty corner, brought the ball to the edge of the scoring circle, and let go with a long, low rifle that went through a thicket of feet and sticks and into the back of the cage.

The Auks had a corner opportunity of their own at the 25-minute mark, but Tower’s goalkeeper turned away an initial shot and a rebound. After that, the action went up and down the field, but the chances belonged to the Hillers.

Over a 12-minute span, they would collect eight penalty corners. A few shots missed or were blocked, but that changed on the final corner of that span. With 10:04 remaining in the first, an entry pass was sent into the Auks’ crease, where Katy Craft was finally able to settle it down. She poked the ball behind the keeper, doubling the Hillers’ advantage.

Tower Hill’s defense, meanwhile, clamped down, preventing Archmere from putting together any kind of offense. That continued into the second half, which was decidedly less offensive than the first. Both sides had just a few chances, but the keepers could not be breached after intermission.

No statistics were available late Tuesday night. Archmere lost for the first time in seven matches and finished the regular season with a 9-6 record. Every loss before this one was by one goal, and all six came to teams that will be playing in the postseason. The Auks will find out Friday if that is enough to get them into the 12-team Division II state tournament field.

The Hillers improved to 12-2. They conclude the regular season on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. at Wilmington Friends.